Powerbrokers to take time – The Fin; Libs call in lawyer as postal votes surprise – The Fin; Canberra stalemate threatens resources – The Aus; New push for merger of councils – The West; Potash Corp looks beyond BHP – The Fin
Powerbrokers to take time
The independent MPs who hold the balance of power have warned that they will not rush their deliberations following a meeting in Canberra last night, despite Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's earlier attempt to push them towards a conservative alliance. The Fin
Libs call in lawyer as postal votes surprise
The Liberal Party has underscored the importance of the cliffhanger election result in the Perth seat of Hasluck by engaging high-profile senior Freehills partner Steven Penglis to oversee the count. The Fin
Canberra stalemate threatens resources
A hung parliament would threaten the nation's ability to capitalise on China-led demand for commodities and may lead to a renewed campaign against a proposed mining tax, business leaders and lawyers warn. The Aus
New push for merger of councils
A super council in the western suburbs is back on the cards, with Local Government Minister John Castrilli spearheding a plan to merge four local governments in Perth's so-called golden triangle. The West
Potash Corp looks beyond BHP
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is stepping up its hunt for suitors to rival BHP Billiton's $US40 billion ($44 billion) takeover bid after rival global miners Rio Tinto and Vale ruled themselves out of the mix. The Fin
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Students at a government high school have been asked in a class assignment to plan a terrorist attack using chemical or biological warfare to kill as many innocent people as possible.
Page 4: Labor has lost ground in several key seats, including the Perth battleground of Hasluck, which the Australian Electoral Commission says is the closest contest in the country.
Page 5: Tony Abbott has refined his pitch to the three kingmaker country independents, saying support for the Gillard government would in-effect entrench an ALP-Greens alliance, with one side already in "ferocious civil war".
Page 6: Key elements of the major parties' election campaign platforms face little chance of getting through Parliament regardless of which party gains the keys to The Lodge.
Page 7: Australians may still be waiting to see who will run the country but successful candidates in Saturday's poll will receive an immediate 4.1 per cent pay rise courtesy of the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal.
Country voters are backing Nationals MP Tony Crook to get a good deal for regional WA after he pledged to put their interests ahead of any political coalition's needs.
Page 9: WA's corruption watchdog has been savaged by the State's most formidable legal minds, forcing Corruption and Crime Commission head Len Roberts-Smith to defend it.
Page 13: A Dutch TV crime reporter charged over his bid to confront an Australian man wanted in connection with the death of a tourist in Honduras has accused Australia of "protecting fugitives" while announcing he may not return to this country for his trial.
Page 15: Doctor surgeries in WA will be urged to display new guidelines in waiting rooms to outline patients' rights to privacy and modesty when being examined.
Page 16: A Perth drilling consultant helping to reach the trapped Chilean miners says ecstatic rescuers hugged and cried when the men below sent up notes saying they were alive.
Page 17: A super council in the western suburbs is back on the cards, with Local Government Minister John Castrilli spearheding a plan to merge four local governments in Perth's so-called golden triangle.
Page 18: Mining giant Alcoa admitted in Perth Magistrates Court yesterday to breaching conditions of its Wagerup refinery licence in 2006 when big clouds of red dust were blown from residue stockpiles on to neighbouring farmland and into the town of Yarloop.
Business: Almost three years since its top-of-the-cycle $3.1 billion takeover of nickel producer Jubilee Mines, Xstrata has again swooped on WA as it tries to improve the quality of its global suite of mining assets.
Publish & Broadcasting and News Ltd misled the board of telephone company One.Tel to extract themselves from an agreement to provide fresh capital to it, according to a $244 million damages claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court.
New York billionaire fund manager Phil Falcone has dumped his remaining $41 million stake in Murchison Metals, all but ending Harbinger Capital's stint as one of the biggest backers of the WA mining sector.
A senior Perth barrister faces a substantial legal bill after losing a bitter and high-profile $3 million lawsuit against the company behind international surfwear brand Rusty.
Diversified property developer and funds manager Mirvac Group will focus on keeping its business model simple, with income generated from sales in its residential sector and rents from new office developments.
BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers gets his chance at today's June-year profit announcement to talk up the merits of BHP's struggling $US40 billion hostile takeover bid for Canada's Potash Corp.
Cash Converters will tap the web to lure more punters to its surging personal loans business after a successful launch of its finance product in the UK helped lift profit 34 per cent.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: The independent MPs who hold the balance of power have warned that they will not rush their deliberations following a meeting in Canberra last night, despite Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's earlier attempt to push them towards a conservative alliance.
Long-suffering investors in the real estate investment trusts (REITs) are hearing some good news, 2 ½ years after the property market began its tumble.
Page 3: The competition regulator has warned businesses to be ready to report unsafe products within two days or face the risk of jail or fines of up to $16,500.
Page 5: A wide-ranging employer push to allow shorter minimum shifts for part-time and casual workers has begun, despite strong opposition from trade unions.
More than half of all employers are battling skills shortages caused by a stronger economy and a talent shortage in many sectors, including banking, regulation, law and engineering.
Page 7: Tax agents have less than a week to register with the Tax Practitioners Board and avoid penalties, the board warned yesterday.
Page 8: A jump in the number of recommended bids is expected to keep dominating merger and acquisition transactions this year, as success rates for corporate transactions improve.
Page 9: The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's business sales indicator suggests spending was steady in July, good news for retailers struggling to build sales.
Page 13: The Coalition has surged back into contention to form a minority government with the progress count yesterday giving it more seats than the Labor Party.
The Liberal Party has underscored the importance of the cliffhanger election result in the Perth seat of Hasluck by engaging high-profile senior Freehills partner Steven Penglis to oversee the count.
Page 14: The three independent MPs who could decide the fate of the government have warned it may take weeks for them to reach an agreement with either party.
Page 49: Foster's Group chief executive Ian Johnston has hosed down talk of the struggling drinks group selling its beer unit ahead of a planned demerger of its wine business as "hypothetical" while handing down a flat annual result hampered by a strong Australian dollar and sliding beer sales.
Page 52: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is stepping up its hunt for suitors to rival BHP Billiton's $US40 billion ($44 billion) takeover bid after rival global miners Rio Tinto and Vale ruled themselves out of the mix.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Julia Gillard has failed to keep the lid on recriminations within Labor over its poor election campaign, with a former national president describing the internal atmosphere as poisonous, amid growing calls for the sacking of national secretary Karl Bitar.
Australian political tradition dictates that the party that wins the most seats in a knife-edge election is given the first opportunity to form a government, according to former prime minister Malcolm Fraser.
Page 2: Failed asylum-seekers could soon be given the right to appeal their decisions in Australian courts, if a test case brought to the High Court by a group of Sri Lankan asylum-seekers is successful.
Page 4: Independent MP Bob Katter says he will use his newfound clout as a balance-of-power holder to deliver a fair go for rural communities, which he says have been ignored for decades.
Page 5: Tony Abbott is offering independent and crossbench MPs the most comprehensive package of reforms to parliamentary procedures in more than 30 years as he seeks to strike a deal to form government.
Page 6: Tony Abbott has vowed he will not make any promises to the three independents that would endanger the budget's return to surplus in three years.
Page 7: Tony Abbott has emerged with a possible three-seat lead in the House of Representatives after the latest vote count showed Labor falling further behind in the crucial West Australian seat of Hasluck and trailing independent Andrew Wilkie in the Tasmanian seat of Denison.
Business: Investors will have to wait several months to find out whether Foster's Group intends to proceed with a mooted split of its beer and wine businesses, after the beverage giant provided few details on the demerger plan as it unveiled a multi-million-dollar loss.
Origin Energy chief Grant King says his $35 billion Asia-Pacific Liquefied Natural Gas joint venture has caught up to rival Gladstone LNG projects planned by BG Group and Santos, meaning it is time to start consolidation talks.
A hung parliament would threaten the nation's ability to capitalise on China-led demand for commodities and may lead to a renewed campaign against a proposed mining tax, business leaders and lawyers warn.
Aristocrat Leisure plans another shake-up of its board as it struggles to turn around its fortunes in the face of difficult trading conditions in key markets.
Mining company Kagara has outlined plans to increase production of zinc and copper during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011.
